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Search - Digging to America
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Digging to America Author: |
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Book Information
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Book Description:
Tyler (Breathing Lessons) encompasses the collision of cultures without losing her sharp focus on the daily dramas of modern family life in her 17th novel.
When Bitsy and Brad Donaldson and Sami and Ziba Yazdan both adopt Korean infant girls, their chance encounter at the Baltimore airport the day their daughters arrive marks the start of a long, intense if sometimes awkward friendship. Sami's mother, Maryam Yazdan, who carefully preserves her exotic "outsiderness" despite having emigrated from Iran almost 40 years earlier, is frequently perplexed by her son and daughter-in-law's ongoing relationship with the loud, opinionated, unapologetically American Donaldsons.
When Bitsy's recently widowed father, Dave, endearingly falls in love with Maryam, she must come to terms with what it means to be part of a culture and a country. Stretching from the babies' arrival in 1997 until 2004, the novel is punctuated by each year's Arrival Party, a tradition manufactured and comically upheld by Bitsy; the annual festivities gradually reveal the families' evolving connections. Though the novel's perspective shifts among characters, Maryam is at the narrative and emotional heart of the touching, humorous story, as she reluctantly realizes that there may be a place in her heart for new friends, new loves and her new country after all.
When Bitsy and Brad Donaldson and Sami and Ziba Yazdan both adopt Korean infant girls, their chance encounter at the Baltimore airport the day their daughters arrive marks the start of a long, intense if sometimes awkward friendship. Sami's mother, Maryam Yazdan, who carefully preserves her exotic "outsiderness" despite having emigrated from Iran almost 40 years earlier, is frequently perplexed by her son and daughter-in-law's ongoing relationship with the loud, opinionated, unapologetically American Donaldsons.
When Bitsy's recently widowed father, Dave, endearingly falls in love with Maryam, she must come to terms with what it means to be part of a culture and a country. Stretching from the babies' arrival in 1997 until 2004, the novel is punctuated by each year's Arrival Party, a tradition manufactured and comically upheld by Bitsy; the annual festivities gradually reveal the families' evolving connections. Though the novel's perspective shifts among characters, Maryam is at the narrative and emotional heart of the touching, humorous story, as she reluctantly realizes that there may be a place in her heart for new friends, new loves and her new country after all.
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Top Member Book Reviews
A. J. C. (
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
I usually enjoy a good book about clashing cultures and complex human relationships, but this book just didn't do much for me at all. I was annoyed by the cultural stereotypes and frustrated by the lack of focus on any one particular character. I had to force myself to finish, not a very satisfying read.
Suzanne B. (
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Masterfully written tale of what it means to be American -- the author really gets into the heads of her characters and we feel their joy, pain, & anxiety. Parents who have adopted children, especially from foreign nations, will relate particularly well, as will anyone who has emigrated from another nation to live in the U.S. A surprisingly fast read.
Jennifer R. (
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Despite trying several times, I just couldn't get into this book.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
I love every book that Anne Taylor writes, and this recent release is right up there with the best of them.
Tracy P. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This one starts a tad slow for me but really gets itself moving along about midbook. You find yourselves contemplating the issues raised within it's pages later on when you are away from the book and I find, at least for myself, that you have a better understanding of adopting families and Persian culture, as well (an added bonus).
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Great discussion book.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Very moving story about the adoption of two girls and the family cultures they were adopted into.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Cute book, not my favorite Anne Tyler, but it was thought provoking!
Suzanne H. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
While this is not my favorite book by Tyler, it still retained her wonderful signature style. The vivid portrait she paints of both American families and immigrant-American families will keep you interested.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Of course, Ann Tyler does not disappoint. This book, however, explores what it's like to be from another country and how it feels to always be a little different, not exactly valued for WHO you are, but where you're from. Excellent read!
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Please Rate these Book Reviews
Gayle (In August 1997, two couples arrive at the airport to receive the Korean babies they have adopted. One couple arrives with their relatives in tow and armed with a video camera to capture every precious moment. The other couple, who are Iranian Americans, show up with just themselves and no cameras. Right away we see the culture gap between the two groups. And yet, despite this gap, a bonding and a friendship occur, based on the couples adoption of these two babies.
I liked this book for its insight on what it is like to be a newcomer to the United States. Though the chief character, Maryam, the mother of the son of the Iranian couple, often feels less than kindly toward the Americans in her life, even she comes to a better understanding of the culture she and her family have joined. A worthy read!
Carol M. (This story of two adoptions is amazing. It's one of Anne Tyler's "best."
Jessica W. (I love Anne Tyler's style and I adored this book. Can't believe I waited so long to read it!
"Anne Tyler has such a wonderful way of spinning a web around her readers...you are drawn in and trapped within her world of lush characters, all of them so unique, and yet so familiar. Such is the way with "Digging to America," one of her best in years." amazon review
Read All Book Reviews of "Digging to America"
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